The morning mailbag brings more reports of gun deaths (remember the Mark Pryor construction — guns didn’t cause these deaths. The deaths are merely the effects of other causation):

* LITTLE ROCK SHOOTOUT: From Sgt. Cassandra Davis of the LRPD:

Advertisement

Officers were called to 4203 Asher Ave (Site Store) at 9:53pm on January 30th. While enroute to that location officers received information that there was one victim suffering from a gun shot. Officers later received additional information of additional gunshot victims. Once on scene officers located a white Tahoe which was struck by multiple bullets. Officers determined four individuals were the occupants of the white Tahoe. Two males located in the front driver and passanger seat and two females located in the back passenger seats. One male was not injuried (unknown if he was the passanger or the driver). The second male was injuried and was taken by private vehicle to UAMS prior to officers arrival. His condition is unknown at this time. One female was taken by MEMS to childrens. Her condition is unknown at this time. The second female was taken by MEMS to UAMS where she later died as a result of her injuries. There are a total of four victims in all. No identity of the victims at this time however it is believed that those injuried are teenage to young adults. A motive for the shooting is unknown at this time. The only suspect information at this time is at least one black male in a gold car.

Type of weapon used to spray the SUV not yet known. UPDATE: Police says Jasmine Simone Young, 17, was killed. Sydney Blocker, 17, and Kyron Richardson, 19, were injured. James Wallace Burks, 20, was not injured.

ALSO: Robbery reported at Sonic on Stagecoach Road about 11:30 p.m. last night and the Denny’s on Shackleford Road about 3 a.m. this morning.

Advertisement

* GANGNAM GARLAND COUNTY: One person was killed and another injured in assaults reported by the Garland Count sheriff on Barite Street Wednesday evening n the eastern part of the county. David Halpin, 25, was killed and and Amber Brinsfield, 29, wounded. The summary from the sheriff’s office:

Very early reports indicate that two unnamed, possibly known, suspects allegedly followed the victims to a residence on Barite, where an argument and fist fight ensued. During the argument, one of the suspects pulled a gun and shot the male victim, who died at the scene. At some point during the fist fight, the female victim was struck in the head and/or face area by one of the suspects and was transported to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries and will be released shortly.

* THE LAW? ANTI-ABORTION REPUBLICANS DON’T NEED NO STINKIN’ LAW: North Dakota is emulating Sen. Jason Rapert with clearly unconstitutional legislation to probe women’s vaginas at the earliest stage of pregnancy so as to set an impermissibly early standard for making abortion illegal. There, too, a lawsuit is certain to follow if the legislation passes. It could be worse here. North Dakota Republicans want to define a fertilized egg as a human being.

Advertisement

* MINDY MCREADY AGAIN: The saga of country singer Mindy McReady continues. Yesterday it was a filing by the father of her child seeking custody. He lives in Florida. The six-year-old child has been with McReady in Cleburne County. The father, Billy McKnight, citing the recent death of McReady’s boyfriend under circumstances still under investigations, said in a news release from his lawyer William Z. White of Heber Springs that he was concerned for the safety of his son.

* PLAYING BOTH SIDES OF THE SCHOOL REFORM GAME: A defender of conventional public schools sent a note last night having been rankled by six-figure Walton lobbyist Luke Gordy’s berating of public school leaders this week. They care only about their pay and their jobs, not children, Gordy said during pep rallies for Billionaire Boys Club legislation. So if these school administrators are such losers, my correspondent wonders, why does the Gordy family take money from them? See, Gordy’s wife is president of an educational consulting firm that sells services to school districts looking to close education gaps. Districts listed as paying customers or “partners” — Clarendon, DeWit, Fordyce, Great Rivers Educational Cooperative, Hayti, Hot Springs, Lake Village, Lincoln, Marked Tree
Marvell, Palestine Wheatley, Smackover, South Mississippi County, Watson Chapel, West Memphis. I’m guessing Luke Gordy thinks these school administrators are interested in kids, not themselves. (PS — That consulting company is widely credited for doing good work. Point is, it CAN be done without shipping money to charter schools.)

Advertisement

Be a Part of the Fight

Step up and make a difference by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times, the progressive, alternative newspaper in Little Rock that's been fighting for truth for 50 years. Our tough, determined, and feisty journalism has earned us over 63,000 Facebook followers, 58,000 Twitter followers, 35,000 Arkansas blog followers, and 70,000 daily email blasts, all of whom value our commitment to holding the powerful accountable. But we need your help to do even more. By subscribing or donating, you'll not only have access to all of our articles, but you'll also be supporting our efforts to hire more writers and expand our coverage. Join us in the fight for truth by subscribing or donating to the Arkansas Times today.

Previous article An open line — wild times in Washington County Next article Opposition suggested to steel mill subsidy